Musk Ordered Slowdown of Military Starlink Service Used by Ukraine, Wall Street Journal Reports

Elon Musk ordered a slowdown of a military-grade version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite service that Ukraine relies on, according to a Wall Street Journal report published on October 21, 2026. The report says the slowdown rendered some Ukrainian drones virtually useless.

Starlink is a satellite internet service run by SpaceX. Its military counterpart is called Starshield, which Ukraine has used to support its forces, including for firing into Russian-held territory, according to CBS News. Starshield is a U.S. military program, and the New York Times describes it as a sister service to Starlink.

Ukraine said in early October that its military had, without warning, lost some critical access to the system. Reuters reported on October 20, citing the Wall Street Journal, that Musk ordered the slowdown about one week earlier. Ukrainian officials said SpaceX had imposed speed limits on Starshield-equipped weaponry, disrupting some operations.

CBS News reported that Musk chose to restrict Ukraine's access to the satellite service. Zelensky said the speed limits prevented Ukraine from using Starshield to shoot down Shahed attack drones, according to the same report, which was published on October 21.

The New York Times reported on October 21 that Ukraine still does not know why the military satellite service was abruptly throttled, a disruption that has left troops affected. The newspaper had earlier reported that Ukraine's military was reporting sudden, unexplained restrictions on its use of Starshield.